Behaviour at Westwood
At Westwood, we believe that behaviour is a curriculum. We believe that it is a vital part of our role to teach children what prosocial behaviour looks like and to support them to make positive choices. All adults at Westwood understand the important part they play in modelling positive behaviours and facilitating the children to develop self-discipline.
We understand how important relationships are when it comes to teaching children how to take control of and responsibility for their own behaviour. We believe that all behaviour is communication, and giving our children a safe space to understand and explore their emotions is key.
We aim to build strong relationships with children and their families and to help children make the right choices by:
- greeting learners and their families with a smile as they enter the school
- never walking past a child in the corridor without saying hello
- communicating clearly with parents and carers about both positive and negative behaviour
- having an open door policy for parents and carers
- modelling the high standards of behaviour we expect from our children
- using a variety of positive feedback and rewards to help children recognise where right choices are being made
- prioritising positive feedback for children who are demonstrating our values
- having a consistent approach to consequences
- ensuring the learning needs of children are being met
- seeking advice from Inclusion and SEND team to support the needs of our children who may be struggling to self-regulate
In order to enable effective teaching and learning to take place, prosocial behaviour in all aspects of school life is necessary. It is the responsibility of the class teacher to ensure that our School Values are modelled consistently in their class, and that their pupils behave in a responsible manner at all times during the school day (including lesson and break times).
Parents will be made aware of strategies being used to improve behaviour and of logical consequences being used when children make the wrong choices including, but not limited to, being disruptive in class, being disrespectful, hurting other children, bullying and name calling. All adults in our school have high expectations of children’s behaviour, and they strive to ensure that all children work to the best of their ability. Pupils are treated fairly and this behaviour policy is enforced consistently.
Teachers treat all children in their class with respect and understanding. If a child makes the wrong choice repeatedly in class, the class teacher keeps a record of all such behaviours (see Consequences section). The class teacher will inform parents about the progress of each child in their class after initial contact has been made with regards to behaviour which is not prosocial, in line with the whole-school policy. The class teacher or a member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) may also contact parents and carers if there are concerns about the behaviour or the welfare of a child.
Teaching strategies used to support prosocial behaviour at Westwood include:
- social stories
- Zones of Regulation
- visual cue cards
- The Incredible 5 Point Scale
- Interventions such as Draw and Talk, Forest School and Nurture Groups.
For more information, see our Behaviour Policy.